Throughout the year, various members of the REME Museum team make appearances at events held across the country. From Military Shows and Vintage Rallies, to Remembrance Services and Museum Open Days, we enjoy showing our support for our fellow military and vehicle enthusiasts. Plus, it gives us a chance to show off more the collection including objects that are not normally able to be displayed within the Museum. Last week, members of our team attended two events in London.

Remembering Korea with the Royal British Legion

On Thursday 27 July, we supported the Royal British Legion (RBL) in celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War at Horse Guards Parade. The event involved a special Remembrance Service, to which veterans of the War and their families, as well as officials of both the United Kingdom (including HRH The Duke of Gloucester) and the Republic of Korea, were invited. We were invited to the event as part of an exhibition including displays from each of the branches of the British Armed Forces, Regimental and Corps Museums and other charitable organisations.

To commemorate REME’s role in Korea, we curated a special display including banners to explain how REME was involved in the War and the experiences many REME personnel would have had. We displayed objects that could be handled by the public, which were examples of the types of equipment and documents that would have been used by REME servicemen in Korea.

Education Officer, Andrew, making a friendly welcome to our display space.

Elements of this display will be available to view at the Museum in our Remembrance Gallery for a limited time.

During the event, we were honoured to talk to many veterans of the Korean War, including REME veteran, Robert Temple. Robert explained to us that he was an Artificer Sergeant Major (ASM) with 38 Regiment during his service in Korea, and was kind enough to allow us to take his picture.

Robert Temple with our deactivated STEN sub-machine gun no less!

We were further honoured to meet HRH The Duke of Gloucester, with whom we discussed REME role’s in the War and how the soldiers kept warm (or tried to) during the winters of -40°C.

The Duke of Gloucester exploring our display objects. ©Stanley Kaye.

A Spotlight at the National Army Museum

A few days later, on Saturday 29 July, we joined forces with the Corps Engagement Team and representatives from each REME trade at the National Army Museum (NAM) in Chelsea, London. The NAM hosted the event named “Spotlight: Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers” to showcase the work the REME do in today’s Army, providing opportunities to meet soldiers and try out interactives.

REME Trade stands underneath the iconic Lynx helicopter hanging in the NAM atrium.

We proudly displayed some of our iconic objects highlighting some of the incredible stories of REME since World War Two to the present day, including medals from a REME veteran of the Korean War to continue our commemoration of the anniversary.

Our display, including pieces from both our permanent and handling collections. 

Our Director, Major (Rtd) Rick Henderson, also took part as a keynote speaker during the event. He spoke to visitors about REME’s history and his experiences serving in the Corps for 36 years as a Vehicle Mechanic and commissioned Officer.

Want us to display at an event you're hosting or attending? Get in touch with us!